Thursday, September 30, 2010

2010 SCCA Solo National Championships and beyond...

By: Jake Namer

The dust has since settled and the SCCA Solo National Champions stand alone in glory. It was incredible to watch , and compete against , the 2010 SSM champion 3-Rotor RX7, (which sports what seems like every functional go-fast part conceivable) as it devoured the courses in record time at the hands of Erik Strelnieks. Even more astonishing was watching the Thompsons' RX7 run in its transient development stage (chassis tuning and weight reduction were prevalent but the powertrain was as virgin as that Mary chick I keep hearing about). The car posted podium worthy times at the hands of Carter Thompson. Undoubtedly, Super Street Modified breeds the best of the best in tuning and in driving.

As I was merely a sophomore at Nationals, I continued to discover new hurdles and small glories of national championship competition. A new season, a new class, and a new tire. There was a lot to learn this year. Afterward, like many others, I've been pondering how to improve the car setup in the off season and formulate an attack plan targeting a Solo National Championship.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise; the Hamfist Racing SSM RX7 had the unfortunate pleasure of popping an apex seal at the last NNJR-SCCA autocross of the season. I assure all she'll be back stronger and faster than ever. Despite the overwhelmingly popular trend of bastardizing Mazda RX7s with V8s (blaspheme), her surgery will include a Wankel heart transplant to boot - details coming soon.